Coral reefs are home to over 25 percent of all marine fish species plus other species like sea turtles. Reefs protect shorelines from major storms and provide food and jobs to people who live near them. Essentially, coral reefs are incredibly important to both the health of oceans and well-being of humans.
There have been lots of different types of efforts for preserving and rebuilding coral reefs, most of them requiring lots of time and meticulous labor by divers, but one island in the Caribbean has found a new approach: 3D printing.
Sadly, coral reefs are in danger of disappearing, thanks to the combination of diseases, and damage that is caused by climate change, pollution, and other human activities.
The Harbour Village Beach Club on the island of Bonaire has teamed up with ocean preservationist Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the famous Jacques Cousteau, to use the additive manufacturing technology to restore the reefs. The island and Cousteau will work together to design and print artificial corals that are identical in size, shape, texture and even chemical makeup of the native corals.
The artificial corals will attract baby coral polyps to live in and build on them as well as attract
organisms that live around coral reefs like algae, anemones, octopi, crabs and fish.“We are pleased to use advanced knowledge of prominent sea issues to make Bonaire an example for the Caribbean and other areas of the world,” said Eric Ewoldt, executive director of Harbour Village. “We know 3D printing efforts have worked in Monaco and the Gulf States among others. With the development of our Ocean Learning Center, now is the perfect time to launch this technology in Bonaire.”
Reef-building corals are small polyp-like animals that form calcium-carbonate shells around themselves and thrive in a symbiotic relationship with certain types of algae. The artificial corals will be made of limestone and sandstone, and will be deployed off the shore of Harbour Village Beach Club.
The group will start 3D printing corals later this year using equipment at Harbour Village’s Ocean Learning Center, but the exact location for the restoration is yet to be picked. Each step involved in the printing and restoration processes will be documented and will be showcased in an exclusive documentary and educational materials.
“3D printed corals can generate real change and establish real growth for reefs, one of the key attractions for visitors and divers alike in Bonaire,” Cousteau said in the same statement. “This technology is less labor-intensive than current coral restoration processes, creating a larger impact in a shorter amount of time.”
